Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP)

The State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) identifies and assesses the health of rare, declining, and vulnerable plants and animals in Massachusetts, and outlines key actions for conserving them.

An approved State Wildlife Action Plan is required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to be eligible for State Wildlife Grants, a key federal funding source for states to conserve plants and animals of greatest conservation need and the habitats on which they rely. Plans must be revised every ten years to evaluate the health of rare, vulnerable, and declining species and to identify opportunities to conserve these species and associated habitats. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), with input from conservation partners and the public, developed State Wildlife Action Plans in 2005 and 2015 and is currently working on the 2025 update.

Introduction

The goal of the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is to proactively conserve Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the Commonwealth. This is achieved by reviewing threats and identifying conservation actions to halt and reverse the loss of these rare and vulnerable species and their habitats—all while keeping common species common.

For decades, BioMap has provided a framework that guides strategic protection and stewardship of lands and waters that are most important for conserving biological diversity in Massachusetts. In 2022, MassWildlife and The Nature Conservancy released an updated and expanded BioMap. MassWildlife is working to update the SWAP to incorporate BioMap data and conservation and restoration recommendations for SCGN and their habitats. After public review and comment, MassWildlife anticipates submitting the SWAP to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for review and approval in late September 2025. 
 

Public input

MassWildlife is finalizing a 2025–2035 revision to the SWAP. Conservation partners and the public are critical to updating the plan and putting its recommendations into practice. Public comments on the Draft 2025 SWAP will be accepted from Thursday, July 17 through Monday, August 18.

July 17: Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan Public Information Session

MassWildlife is hosting an information session on Thursday, July 17 at 3 p.m. on Zoom to provide an overview of its revisions to the SWAP, demonstrate how the public can review its major components, and explain how to provide feedback. Click here to register for the information session, which will be recorded and posted here following the event.

American Sign Language (ASL) and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioning, as well as live interpretation, including in Español, Português, 中文, Kreyòl Ayisyen, and Tiếng Việt, will be provided automatically for attendees who wish to use it at the SWAP Information Session on July 17, 2025. MassWildlife will also make every effort to provide other languages as requested to ensure equitable access. Please contact Susan Sacco at [e-mail] to request interpretation in another language by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, July 14, 2025.

What's new for 2025?

MassWildlife developed its first State Wildlife Action Plan in 2005 and updated it in 2015. The 2025 Massachusetts SWAP:

• is available entirely online;
• builds off of BioMap, which is an online tool that guides the strategic protection and stewardship of lands and waters that are most important for biodiversity conservation in Massachusetts;
• features 620 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) with an updated dashboard and fact sheets;
• describes 35 habitat categories containing over 100 distinct natural communities that are essential for conserving SGCN in Massachusetts; and,
• identifies key actions needed to help conserve and restore SGCN.

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

The 2025 SWAP designates 620 plants and animals as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Massachusetts. MassWildlife biologists, with review and cooperation from conservation partners and species experts, developed criteria for designating SGCN. These include risk of extirpation (disappearing from MA), population trends, regional conservation concerns, emerging threats, and climate change vulnerability.

Learn about SGCN, the threats they face, and conservation actions 

Habitats of Massachusetts

Habitat protection and restoration are key to conserving biodiversity in Massachusetts. Our nearly 3 million acres of forest, 1,500 miles of coastline, over 2,000 miles of rivers and streams, and expansive wetlands provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals, as well as ecosystem services that benefit all people in the Commonwealth. MassWildlife has grouped habitats into 35 categories that contain over 100 distinct natural communities; each SGCN relies on one or more habitats to survive.

Learn about habitats, the species they support, threats, and conservation actions 

Conservation Actions

The actions identified in the SWAP to ensure the conservation of populations of SGCN fall into 6 broad categories: conservation planning; proactive habitat protection; habitat restoration and management; law and policy; monitoring and research; and public outreach. These conservation actions can be found in several locations, including: 

• Species of Greatest Conservation Need: SGCN web pages contain specific conservation actions for plant and animal species, including species listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
• Habitats of Massachusetts: These pages contain information about conservation actions for specific habitats and natural communities, including consideration of habitat management and restoration needs.
• BioMap: BioMap incorporates the species and habitat content listed above, as well as an important map to help guide protection and restoration at statewide, regional, and local scales.
• Conservation Actions: This page provides a summary of key conservation actions at a statewide scale.

Learn more about statewide conservation actions 

Effectiveness Monitoring and Adaptive Management

Monitoring of conservation actions and measuring success is necessary to determine the effectiveness of efforts to protect and restore biodiversity, natural areas, and open spaces in Massachusetts.

Note that additional content related to monitoring can be found in the SGCN and habitat web pages, as well as in the BioMap Habitat Restoration Resource Center.

Learn more about monitoring, research, & adaptive management 

2015 SWAP